Special Advice For Travellers During The Caribbean Hurricane Season

The official Caribbean hurricane season occurs from 1st June through to 30th November but the hurricanes are not evenly distributed across the region during this time.

Hurricanes occasionally form in May so don't be fooled into believing that they can't form outside these dates.

If you're travelling to one particular island within the Caribbean you may be fortunate enough to escape a hurricane since hurricanes can't be everywhere at every point in time. The other reason is that closer you travel to equator, the more likely you won't be in a hurricane's path. This is particularly true for the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacoa.

Check out the latest infrared satellite image for the Caribbean region below:

Just click to enlarge

Satellite image courtesy of www.noaa.gov/

Even though the Caribbean hurricane season is from June through to November, there are still times when hurricanes are unusually quiet. If you visit the Caribbean in July, you'll be happy to know that hurricanes rarely effect the region. October has by far the largest number of hurricanes. The second most frequent occurrence for hurricanes is in June.

In May and June (the early part of the Caribbean hurricane season), the majority of the hurricanes occur in the western part of the Caribbean. By July, the location of these severe cyclonic storms shifts to the southeastern part of the Caribbean. You may be asking, what do I mean by the southeastern part of the Caribbean. Well...I'm referring to the region southeast of Puerto Rico. (As a side note, the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles are rarely hit by hurricanes.) As the season progresses, hurricanes begin to form throughout the whole region of the Caribbean's during August and the beginning of September.

As I have mentioned previously, the Caribbean hurricane season is in full swing by October. The majority of hurricane formation in October occurs in the western Caribbean. But don't be fooled into believing you'll be safe elsewhere in the Caribbeans. The only regions that typically escape the path of hurricanes are those islands located in the far southern parts of the Caribbean. If you're thinking of travelling to the Caribbean in October, please take every precaution as the hurricanes tend to reach maximum strength at this time of the year.

Here is a list of facts that you can use to help you choose a travel destination in the Caribbean region:

• Up to eleven hurricanes form during the Caribbean hurricane season each year but normally it is around eight.

• The region around the Bahamas has the most frequent occurrence of hurricanes.

• Hurricanes that occur in the far southern parts of the Caribbean are normally not severe and are quite rare.

• Hurricanes passing over Puerto Rico are rare - they normally occur once every 20 years (sometimes every 10 years).

• In the region of the French West Indies (i.e. Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy) one hurricane typically passes nearby every 3-4 years.

• Of all the islands in the French West Indies, Guadeloupe has the greatest number of hurricanes averaging one every 2.25 years.

• Most hurricanes in the Caribbean move from east to west.

• Only one hurricane has travelled from west to east in the last 113 years.

• Accommodation in the Caribbean hurricane season is quite cheap, so if you want to advantage of this and avoid hurricanes at the same time, one of the safest places to go is the Netherland's Antilles islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacoa off the northern coast of South America.

• Other Caribbean islands that are not normally in the path of hurricanes during the hurricane season are Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada and Barbados.

• Montserrat, located in the West Indies, is normally not in the path of hurricanes in July.

• Barbados is rarely influenced by hurricanes as they tend to pass to the north closer to Guadeloupe and Dominica, this is true even for October.

• If you're planning a trip to Barbados, Barbados gets hit by hurricanes once every 20 years approximately.

• I would also advise that either you or your travel agent arrange a hurricane guarantee for every stage of your trip.

• I would like to expand on the previous point, I forgot to mention that in the event of a hurricane, you may be able to obtain free accommodation and travel to cover expenses if you have a hurricane guarantee.

• Please make sure that the company you plan to use for obtaining hurricane guarantees is trustworthy.

• There is now considerable scientific consensus that there are less hurricanes forming in the Caribbean region but those that do form are becoming more dangerous. So you must plan your trip carefully so as to minimise any potential safety issues.

So why is October the flavour of the month for hurricanes in the Caribbean?

Put simply, the surface ocean temperatures rise more than 1°C above the yearly averaged ocean temperatures in October. This is particularly true more so in the southwestern parts of the Caribbean. During this time rainfall increases due to enhanced thunderstorm activity. All the necessary ingredients are there in the atmospheric soup for a hurricane to form.

There are of course many other factors that contribute to a hurricanes formation, but I will discuss this on another page in the future.

There has only been two hurricanes that have formed within the southern part of the Caribbean in the month of July over a period of 113 years. As such, you don't have to be overly concerned about your holiday destination in this region during July.

In August, hurricanes form once every 22 years approximately in the southwestern Caribbean region. I would also like to say that the rest of the Caribbean (the region outside the southwestern Caribbean) experiences a significant decrease in the number of hurricanes from June into July.

I have deliberately avoided discussing the Caribbean weather on this page. If you want to know what the weather will be like in the Caribbean in the month you plan to travel, then check this link out. As you may already know, if you're travelling during the Caribbean hurricane season, you must choose your travel dates carefully.

So why is July the month when hurricanes are least likely to form?

For starters, the Caribbean region (particularly in the southwestern half) becomes dominated by strong easterly winds (i.e. winds coming from the east). These easterly winds normally cause a marked decrease in rainfall (normally leading to short term drought-like conditions).

Furthermore, if you go swimming in July in the southern and southwestern parts of the Caribbean, you'll notice that the sea-surface temperatures are lower than normal because the easterly winds push the warmer surface water toward the equator.

This leaves colder water underneath to rise to the surface. It is this colder water that limits the formation of hurricanes in July. So, the Caribbean hurricane season can technically be broken in half since July is frequently associated with mainly fine weather, more so in the southern and southwestern parts of the Caribbean.

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